Jump to content
Azure

In the Valley of the Shadow of Death

Recommended Posts

Posted (edited)
[OOC: If I could ask a small favor? Treat Midori as having been there, but somehow a noncombatant and largely out of sight, please? Sorry I didn't get her involved, but I really didn't see how it would have been helpful. :( ] Edited by dowhatnow
Posted

Kikuya’s inward deliberation was cut short as a warning cry rang out nearby before some slick syrupy substance started to coat the earth. Craning her neck to see who the hell would cause such a hindrance on the field, the woman swiftly jumped upon the first step of Haruyuki’s conjured icy rise. Thanks to her superior balance, the woman landed lightly with a crouch against her knees. She’d watch the substance travel towards the Gargantua, which by the time was already in its bloated throes of extinction. The sensor already knew what caused the demon’s unlikely downfall- its incredible chakra absorption abilities coupled with a lack of adequate output. The same thing happened to sound eaters to a point- if too much sound was present and devoured rumors say the clansman's chest cavities quiver to the point of explosion. Kikuya never met that point however- she wasn’t as gluttonous as her brethren, and also spent years improving her chakra manipulation to better keep her systems at equilibrium.

Well that’s it, Kikuya thought to herself as the demon dissipated. Weariness droppeod her guard, and the woman suppressed a cry of surprise as a final explosion of chakra burst from the epicenter and seared her senses. Her head drooped as she shook off the feeling of sensing all that power at once. Slowly recovering, she pushed her dark hair from her face and hopped off the icy step. The syrup snared her at once, but a combination of her chakra’s natural attunement to water and sheer strength allowed Kikuya to slough through the muck and collect her two weapons. She had little interest in checking on the welfare of the shinobi who were last engaged with the Gargantua, or the pack of Oto Chuunin that took to the village streets to scour for survivors and Raz.

Posted

Falling from the sky was getting to be far too regular an occurance... Not that Terrick could appreciate the fact, as the beast's explosion left him only slightly aware of his circumstances as he landed with a sickening CRACK!  on some abandoned market stall, the wood and metal piping of its construction unable to stand the force of impact with the kusa-nin's falling body.  To say that he was hurting was an understatement... Terrick would have to check for spinal column damage once the stars stopped flashing in front of his eyes.

 

Rolling onto his side, his breath hitched as mind-numbing pain erupted from his back.  It almost felt like he'd burst a kidney inside, though it could be just shattered ribs...  Either way, he almost blacked out from the pain, before focusing enough to try and move again.  Climbing to his feet, Terrick looked around, his green eyes taking in the devastation.... Yet he could not see any sign of the demon anymore.  Feeling his chakra coils slowly beginning to charge up again, he began to look for survivors.

 

"Hello?  Anyone still out here?"
 

  • Like 1
Posted

It was man’s self written edict to find his God or renounce it as mythic.  Being a learned man, Yatako was not about to blindly attribute every working manner as if life worked as a pawn, for things worked in a manner of free will and choice.  Nor would be a set of probabilities and natural laws were the lone responder to the shinobis’ theater.  Perhaps it was coincidence, but his well placed prayer couldn’t have hurt.  In fact, the strange ghost that ushered this beast into being called upon the very name that the Hokage whispered before the maw came crashing down.  His ring simply wasn’t big enough to hold the Gargantua’s mouth, and as pressure bore down on it, the ring began to shrink slightly and condense- reforming for optimal strength.  The chakra ring began to crack and break, spewing off bright blue shards that were absorbed into the yokai.  “Nrrrghhhrahhhhhhhh!” Yatako grunted as he focused to keep the ring together.  He could feel the fiber of his muscles tearing and ripping while he was shaking under the pressure of the unstable yokai, growing shakier until it seemed as though the giant yokai were petrified, as if it were suddenly remade as a statue.

 

Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

I am spared, for even the shadows bow to the One who walks with me.

 

And then suddenly, his Byakugan could see the chakra inside of the Gargantua came undone in an impressive display of churning colors and streams that were trapped and needed release.  Quickly, before he went blind, Yatako shut off his bloodline to restore the sight a normal human would have.  The chakra tether let loose and wrapped around him like a swaddling blanket as the Garguantua rubbed the panes of the sound barrier.  Although hidden behind his eyelids, light pierced through his vision and sound rung his eardrums as they felt like they would burst.  Yatako was ripped from the maw of the Gargantua and forced out into the air.  In a twilight moment  the Hokage could see all the destruction in the village as he opened his eyes.  He saw the burned greenery that marked such beauty in the land.  He saw burned markets lick the Harakage’s Tree and the buildings in the village.  He felt the emptiness of the village: that its inhabitants were now less than twenty.  He saw the destruction of the market square and the four ninja who had joined him in battle.  Terrick, Mizujin, Haruyuki and another ninja he never met before.  He was proud to see his fellow Konoha shinobi standing with him.  So proud…and then he felt a severely sharp pain rip through him and drain him all the same. 

 

His spine jerked back as if he was hit with a war club and he knew that the Gargantua was exploding, soon to engulf the shinobi that helped him.  He was on the initial wave, but words wouldn’t travel quick enough for them.  Flinging his hand in back of him, Yatako mustered what little chakra that still flowed in him to and catapulted himself with a burst of wind down to the market square.  He needed to still protect his kind…it was his duty as Hokage.  The body of Hyuuga Yatako fell upon Uchiha Mizujin as sharp motes of piercing chakra struck into his back.  Grunting and wheezing as each bullet hit him, Yatako took the brunt of the attack away from his comrade, but that was not to say even he could take all of it.  As the stream of chakra soon ceased, Yatako rolled away from the Uchiha onto his back.  His sweat slicked hair fell among the dirty water left by the rain.  Blood and bruises soaked his underclothes as silence filled the village.  Or maybe his ears were muffled from the explosion.  Or maybe his consciousness was fading.  “See…Syaoran?”  His whisper fell to the wind, his thoughts found focus on his Alchem friend, while sleep took him swiftly.

 

[9543]

 

 

A quizzical look tackled Haruyuki’s face as he saw his syurup field spew the beast and then revert back to its chakra origins and stream into the beast.  It was strange, as it was not a natural process and the yokai didn’t appear to be consciously focused on chakra absorption as its main goal was to crush whatever was in its maw.  As his mind raced to discover how to fell the yokai, he noticed its black tar skin was rippling like water.  His notion of course, was to freeze and shatter the ripple, but before he could enact the beast froze itself, ushering a wave of silence across the broken village. 

 

"What, is it scare- awshit.”

 

The Gargantua did exactly what Haruyuki wanted to do to it- shatter.  Although it was a lot more random and unrefined than he would have liked it to be.  As it split from every end, he foresaw the inevitable that the chakra was dangerous and probably hurt to be hit with, like super powered shrapnel.  Luckily for him, he was Hisame and it had been raining.  Quicker than snapping his fingers, Haruyuki’s body melded into a little stream of rain water and what remained of his syrup.  While he had effectively hid himself, he had not effectively defended himself , as the chakra permeated the chakra, piercing him from within (though notably a lot less than if he were still standing in three dimensions).  And the chakra entered the water and found him, it felt like it exploded his own chakra, leaving a hole inside of him. 

 

As the assault faded, the Hisame became three dimensional again by pulling himself out of the water.  He initially noticed that while that chakra bullet packed a nasty punch, the terrain was no less destroyed than it had been.  He had figured it would have left the market in a form similar to Swiss cheese, but alas even as he checked where he felt the chakra slice him, there was no wound.  His intent was to find Izzy once more and reunite with him.  It was then that he heard someone calling.

 

“Still kickin’ over here.  Hey Izzy where are you?”

[5660]

Posted (edited)

The pensive young man stood silently amidst the chaos. His head was cocked slightly to his left giving the impression that he was deep in thought, though any other shinobi on the battlefield were unlikely to notice due to the unfortunate circumstances they were involved in. The creature, this gargantuan monstrosity that held no place in Mizujin's world, was beginning to act strange. In fact, it had been growing more and more volatile as time passed. It was not weakened by the attacks as one might expect. No, the assault the powerful crew of shinobi had unleashed upon it had caused no serious injury aside from those aimed directly at the comparatively small faces that aligned themselves along the top of the great creature's eye. Even the Hokage's attacks had been healed almost instantly by the flow of ethereal ooze that the beast's body was made of. If the most powerful man in the Hidden Leaf Village was not about to bring the monster down then what hope did the rest of them have? There was something they were missing, maybe some secret weakness inherent to the yokai that would allow them to emerge victorious. His first thoughts went to the floating heads, but they seemed to be able to exist and operate independantly of their hosts like they were their own being. In the darkest regions of his mind he pondered that maybe they would need an otherwordly weapon to bring down a creature that was clearly not of this earth, but he refused to believe it. This was an enemy like any other, and the Uchiha clan was notorious for bringing their foes to their knees. For this reason he waited and observed, for in the face of a superior foe Mizujin often found his intellect was the best weapon he had in his arsenal.

Mizujin’s legs tensed, ready to spring into action at a moments notice as the beast’s gaping maw began to close around Yatako, who was suspended helplessly in the air protected only by a halo of chakra barely prying keeping it’s teeth at bay. He was confident that with his impressive speed he would be able to swoop in and snatch the Hyuuga from the Gargantua’s absolutely massive mouth. Or, he thought, they would both just get consumed whole and be broken down into chakra to fuel the infernal creature. Usually he would not bother with such heroics but he felt a certain responsibility as a freshly minted ANBU. He took that duty more seriously than he took most things, though that was not saying much for anyone who really knew the boy. “Should have known” As he was about to react the Hokage’s ring began to break down into a natural state of pure chakra along with the sticky syrup that had been summoned around him by the Kirigakurian. His own water bunshin were swept up into the absorption as well, and every attack by the shinobi around them seemed to be sucked right into the giant beast.

Well fuck me right?” The Uchiha’s deep blue eyes widened as he voiced his sarcastic remark. Something was wrong, and he had a feeling that his earlier theory was about to come to fruition with disastrous consequences. The creatures flesh moved like a unnatural, unstable water balloon that had been filled way past capacity. It seemed to him that time stood still, like they were all frozen in time for the longest few seconds of his life. Then all hell broke loose and the yokai exploded with a release of energy the likes of which Mizujin had never seen. A sudden thrust of pain seared through his body, as if his very blood was boiling. The young man knew the feeling well, it was his kekkai genkai trying to break free as it often did when the Uchiha’s sympathetic nervous system was thrust into fight or flight mode. But once again the seal in his chest burned with an intense pain and instead of the clarity he had hoped would follow the initial adrenaline rush he was graced with a welling up of blood from his tear ducts as the wave of energy rushed towards him with Yatako on the crest.

Reaching out his strong arms he grasped onto the Hokage as the man collided with him in an attempt to soften his fall from such a great height. He was ill prepared for the pain that followed, like being stabbed by blades on every surface that Hokage had not protected with his body. He held up the man for only a second before the effort of bearing the Hyuuga’s dead weight became too much. Mizujin tried to set him down gently but he more or less fell atop the Hokage as the older man fell onto his back. Using the ebony sheath of the katana he propped himself up, his torso arched over the Hokage as he let out a sigh of relief after hearing him speak. Being at ground zero like that would have annihilated any average man, but it had proved to Mizujin that Yatako was a worthy leader for his people’s village. “Looks like we won.” He forced out a laugh as tears of blood streamed from his cheeks onto the now unconscious kage. Pushing himself up with his last bit of energy he fell back, taking a seat cross legged on the decimated earth beneath him.

“Yo! Over here!” He shouted in response to the calls of the last surviving grass ninja.

 

922/5495
 

Edited by Lemon
Posted (edited)

For the first time in probably...well, forever, Raz could actually release a sigh of relief when he managed to catch his team approaching him within his blurred and spinning vision. His mouth opened in an attempt to speak, but no words were able to reach his mouth. It felt as though his throat had failed him, and he could not find a voice in which to communicate with them. He saw their reactions to his beaten and broken form, and even though their own voices echoed and twisted in his ears, he could tell that they were horrified with his appearance. He wanted to be able to tell them he was going to be okay- that they didn't have to worry about him...but that would be a blatant lie.

 

Though he was unaware of the activation of his cursed seal, he knew all too well that these injuries were probably going to do him in. Never in his life had he suffered such catastrophic damage to his body, so the reality was all too clear. Still, he couldn't help but feel a deep twinge of sadness as he watched his team flock to him, attempting to aid him in the only ways they could manage while Haruyuki's phantom of a clone hung back in the distance, causing Raz to wonder whether or not he too was a hallucination. First, Lilina began to speak, and although he was too far gone to understand what she meant by 'giving into that thing', the symbolism of Korin's vest would not be lost on him. His arm quivered as he weakly extended it in an attempt to clutch it, pulling it towards his body and holding it against him as though it was something that had the potential to soothe the agonizing burn wounds he had suffered. So many memories were weaved into this vest, and though it symbolized all the strife they had both faced, Raz would easily go through all of that again with the woman if he had the chance.

 

Yue decided to use logic instead of heart, trying his damnedest to wrap and bind Raz's wounds with what little material he had. Of course, this hurt like a motherfucker, and that would be very apparent as the man's chest would suddenly rise as though he was unable to catch his breath. Clenching his teeth, Raz accepted what little help the boy could offer, and responded to his violent ranting about his teammates with a couple of convulsions from his chest. It was uncertain whether or not he was trying to sob or laugh, but based on the flicker of a smile he managed to stretch over his lips, it was probably the latter. As futile as his efforts were in the long run, Raz could appreciate the gesture as kindness that he hadn't quite received from the boy. At least for Yue- this was kindness.

 

Finally, Ren decided to walk along the same path as Lilina in an attempt to encourage Raz. His spiral eyes remained affixed on the boy, noticing how sentimental he had gotten over the course of this mission. Raz too was a very sentimental human being, and though he had teased the boy back at his home for attempting to perform a heartwarming speech, the words had succeeded in their intent. It wasn't until Ren spoke of him being 'the best of them' did Raz suddenly widen his eyes as though a spark of life had filled his broken body. Extending his broken hand out to grab Ren's shoulder, Raz would actually manage to find his voice, although it came out far weaker than he expected, and was bogged down by the quivering of his lungs as they struggled to keep him breathing.

 

"N-no...I-I'm n-not....s-she i-is..." A breath and a grunt would escape his lips as he tried to sit up so that the steps were no longer pushing against his back. "E-eight of u-us...w-were c-called h-heroes...f-for f-fighting t-the R-raikage...s-seven of us...f-fought....s-so we c-could c-continue t-to fight and die on o-our o-own t-terms...b-but s-she...w-was the o-only one...w-who fought to stop the fighting..."

 

Ren would feel more pressure on his shoulder as Raz desperately attempted to lift his battered form off the stairs entirely and back onto his feet. The stress would cause him to bleed out a bit more, but ultimately left him standing on his feet, hunched over, using Ren as a crutch to keep his wobbling legs from giving way.

 

"K-korin...needs to l-live. I-I can s-still s-sense her... T-the w-world...n-needs h-her l-love and k-k-kindness. A-and i-if I die....I-I'll d-die k-knowing t-that t-the w-world...s-still has a c-chance of b-being s-saved by her h-heart..." Turning his neck limply up to the ceiling, the team might have been able to make out the the large chakra signature at the top of the remaining tower. Ren would feel it for certain, and it would be a similar signature that he would have felt back at Raz's house and on the vest that he was clinging to. They were close to the top of the tower now- all they needed to do was climb one more spiral staircase to get there. But Raz could not do it on his own. For the first time ever, he was relying on his team to help him get up there before he finally passed on. He needed them.

 

"H-help...m-me...s-see h-her...o-one l-last t-time..."

 

900 Words

9,639 Total

Edited by Eechi-go
Posted

The Kumogakure shinobi watched silently as the events cascaded from the climax to the resolution. The massive onslaught against the beast began to stack up and soon the clock would chime on the final moments of the beast's life. It was a feat that seemed impossible, but if he didn't see it with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe it. There had to be some way to shut down this creature, a method of some sort that they hadn't use. His attack was launched and with haste, Sato began to clear the distance between the gargantuan and himself as fast as possible, while avoiding the sticky substance that Haruyuki had placed down. The distance closed and upon future inspection, the young jounin noticed the constant rupture and a lack of stability. Although he hadn't seen what had occurred to the yokai in his time in the trench, there was a clear defining factor that something had changed the rhythmic healing of the beast. Time seemed to slow before he could come to any conclusion, as a deathly silence plagued the area. 

 

Mere seconds passed before the beast, which had once stood fiercely was now particles of chakra launched in all directions. From a certain point of view, the chakra explosion from the beast was, for the lack of a better term, nature's work-of-art. His body's instinctive reaction kicked in, as he came to a sliding stop, outside the range of the rain of chakra. His eyes gazed upon his allies, darting from shinobi to shinobi, tracking their movements towards their respective landing zones. The Kumogakure’s gaze finally rested upon the location of where the gargantuan yokai use to be, now nothing but memories within their minds. A wave of relief washed over his body and while his mind was at the verge of a frenzy from all the information processed, a faint smile appeared on Sato's face. 

 

"It's...over." Weariness, which had been staved off by the adrenaline that coursed through his body, sunk in while he stumbled for a few seconds. With a complete three-hundred and sixty degree turn of his body, he saw all the damaged caused by the battle that ensued in a different light than before. The burned ruins of the market and the scorched grass only added to the gloomy detail of the village. Despite their victory today, it was a tragedy, one that would haunt the Earth for the rest of her existence. "What a shame..." Sato muttered before his ears picked up the voice of the Kusagakure shinobi he had seen earlier. 

 

"Yo, I'm here. Is everybody else alright?" 

 

'Alright' was a term to be used loosely, since the majority of them had major injuries that would need the aid of medical shinobi. There were probably mental repercussions from a battle like this, not to mention nightmares had a nasty habit of plaguing dreams. A heavy grunt escaped his mouth while his body forced its way towards the Hokage and his ally. The use of the majority of his chakra pool as well as the physical injuries had place a strain on his body, one that was not felt in the longest of times. Arriving several meters away from Yatako and Mizujin, the weariness had caught up. In response, Sato allowed his body to rest, while he fell backwards, using his hands to brace the fall. The cold touch of the dirt was a warm relief in comparison to the black goo and blood that painted his body. 

 

"I say, once we're all cleaned up and recovered. We all go out and get a drink, my treat." 

 

[604 words post/6886 words total]

Posted

Terrick almost chuckled as the others called out, but if he did that he'd most likely wind up further injuring himself.  As he limped his way over to where the voices of the others were, the jounin noticed rather perturbedly that the others remained quite chipper.  Ah well, let them have their fun... It's not everyday you thumb your nose at Death so blatantly.  "If you're buying, I'll hold you to that drink.... Shochu sounds positively wonderful at this point...."  Taking a seat on a surprisingly still intact bench, the grass-nin did a visual check over of his fellow survivors.  "I swear, every demon I come across just keeps trying to out-size the last.... Don't any of them know it's how you USE it that counts?" he joked.  Haryuki didn't look to be too bad off, though he was out cold, nor did the Kumo ninja who'd shown up.  Mizujin looked to be the worst off, and from the bleeding eyes and the way that he was panting showed some internal trauma.  "Alright, gather round boys... I think I still have enough to do this, but it'll probably be my last jutsu for a while.... At least until I have a nap..."

 

Taking a seat close to the middle of them all, Terrick put his hands in front of his heart, taking a deep breath that momentarily caused a hitch when his broken ribs ground together, settling himself into a half-trance of concentration.  As he began to make several seals, the air around them slowed a bit from its natural movement.  Emerald colored chakra began to leak out of the kusa-nin, and it flowed around them like a warm blanket, or a heated pillow.  As it reacted with the chakra laden in the ground and the echoes around them, the flows of energy swirled with a life of their own.  As the different colors of blue, green, and other more subtle shades intertwined, they would infuse themselves into the bodies of the ninja seated.  Terrick himself felt his ribs and back creak, while the aching muscles of his arms and legs began to heat up and relax at the same time, fractured bone and torn muscle sinew repairing themselves ever so slowly...

 

Name: Nymph's Embrace (Senjo no Houyou)
Type: Ninjutsu (Medical)
Rank: Jounin
Cost: 40X chakra
Damage: N/A
Effects: Heals X targets for 50 hp each. X cannot equal more than 6.
Description: Another medical ninjutsu originating in Kusa, Nymph's Embrace causes the receiver to feel like the spirits of the world have taken them into their arms, stealing away pain and sickness and revitalizing them for battle.
Points: 7 JP (Evolving 4 if you know the jutsu Nature's Gift)

 

Used with all the medical skills Terrick has to pretty much bring everyone up to half life again...

 

Only once the technique was done did Terrick put his hands down.  It wasn't a miracle heal, but it sure as hell felt better to him...  "Hope that helps you all a bit.... So.... Anyone seen Raz or the others?  Last I can remember is my clone buying a farm somewhere out where he was..."

Posted (edited)

Weapons in hand, Kikuya stiffly walked over to follow the voices that bounced emptily across the leveled battlefield. It was unnerving to the sound eater to stand alone in a field of muffled silence- the sensory deprivation of the place was near unbearable now with the demon’s fall. Her appetite was ravenous after all of the chakra exertion, making the soundproofed terrain particularly draining. The voices of a few people wasn’t nearly enough for sound eaters, but she headed over after Sato in hopes of taking her mind off her hunger. Her limbs felt leaden and slowly the wounds began to manifest their pain as her adrenaline coursed away.

“Hope you have enough money so I can drink you under the table Sato, and not your wallet,” Kikuya interjected as she approached. Her voice was thin and reedy, nearly a scratchy whisper after the bird demon had clamped its fangs across her throat. Had it not been for her sound parasite’s mind altering Genjutsu, it was highly likely the woman would have succumbed to that encounter. She’d already met the Hokage in Konoha and sparred with Mizujin in Metropolis before, leaving only a jounin from Grass unnamed at the haphazard gathering. Unlike the others, Kikuya halted her slow advance a distance from Terrick as he performed a medical technique. Complications within her bloodline reduced the effectiveness of healing jutsu, and sometimes was detrimental to sound eaters. Kikuya never liked the sensation anyways, and not wanting to drain the Kusa nin’s last chakra reserves on her unresponsive body, waited until the technique was completed to close the gap.

She was covered head to toe in the black goo that spewed ubiquitous across the landscape. Beneath that were jagged bite marks across her neck and shoulders, as well as battered garments that remained connected by just a few threads upon her form. Silk sleeves were charred away and peeled to reveal equally peeling skin upon her arms and torso from her rather suicidal dive into the Gargantua’s strongest beam. The jounin refused to sit down to converse, knowing full well her legs would refuse to get up again. “After that, I won’t be able to sense anything for a while,” Kikuya began, still seeing spots behind her eyes. She wheezed breathily for a moment, trying to overcome the minor asphyxiation. As a sensor, her keenness to chakra was a bane in the demon’s last throes. Her brain was frazzled, overwhelmed and unable to be temporarily turned off as Yatako had with his eyes. “But Raz said to reconvene at some tree when we were done here.” She glanced around, seeing no notable trees worth mentioning. Presuming Raz was dead, the woman wasn’t sure how those directions should be interpreted post-mortem.

Edited by Cloudnine
Posted

Izzy felt immediate relief at Haruyuki's assertion that everyone was fine, not doubting for a second that Haruyuki was lying or even withholding part of the truth from him. The battle had been intense, with fights on multiple fronts and from the moment that Izzy had been brought into the crater where he now stood it had been impossible to see or judge the well being of others Hearing that they were beaten and bloody (shudder) was to be expected - Izzy was probably going to have a few glorious bruises himself by morning, but he too was certainly no worse for the wear. It was a secondary, deeper relief to hear that Syaoran was keeping "it" under control - the young Namikaze was unsure of how many people knew what "it" was, but that was a minor detail in comparisson to what "it" was capable of, and what "it' had promised to do. It meant that regardless of whether or not what had happened to Kusa had been the fault of the disposed Tsuchikage, at least some other Village would be spared the same fate, at least from the hands of an bijuu let loose. 

 

"Got it!" Izzy said in response to Haruyuki's instructions, actually managing to muster a little bit of enthusiasm into his voice. For the first time since they had arrived in the desolate Village, the tall Kiri-nin felt free of most of the cloying, oppressing fear that had nearly caused the boy to panic. Izzy was happy to partake in the Hisame's belief that this ordeal had indeeded, last too long, and would do whatever he could to help bring the finale. Scampering up after his mentor and friend, prepared to provide platforms to allow safe navigation. Izzy briefly mourned his inability to use Earth Jutsu, as rocky or earth based platforms would probably be sturdier then the slippery water based one, but alas the boys training Ninjutsu had yet led him to a mastery of all elements. It was on the mental "to do" list. 

 

However, the Namikaze's efforts were mostly in vain, for it seemed that the Gargantuan was more than capable of oozing up the syrupy fluid [and whatever icy mix Izzy had thrown in there with], leaving the ground quite clear for movement. Drooping slightly at the overall lack of need for Izzy's presence, the lanky boy's minute dejection was interrupted by a low growl from Alba who had loyally followed Izzy's path. "Uh oh." Izzy muttered, following the fox's gaze and knowing without being told explicitly that something bad, or at the very least big was about to happen. 

 

"Down." The fox creature growled, and Izzy was quick to comply, throwing himself against the closest piece of rubble and trying to make himself as small as humanly possible [a rather impossible feat, seeing that overgrown Kiri-nin didn't know what to do with his ungainly limbs at the best of times, and this certainly wasn't the best of times]. From his crumpled up position on the ground he was witness to an explosion of wild chakra, bursting like a firework and spreading all directions. A glancing blow on his upper left arm and a yelp of pain ingrained into Izzy that the chakra motes were painful to the touch, though a quick investigation showed that there appeared to be no damage, no physical sign to go along with the burning pain in his bicep. Izzy frowned, his brain ticking away at what could possibly cause the pain without leaving a mark [something that had struck his nerves directly? a change to his chakra threshold that caused for his own energy to burn?] but was not willing to test this theory by exposing himself to more of the volatile remains of the Gargantuan. When the flashes of light finally dissipated completely, Izzy sat for a moment, for a moment the sound of his breathing the only thing that punctured the silence. It was eerie - after the storm and the shouts of battle, explosions and jutsu to find himself alone in a moment of solitude. 

 

It didn't last long. 

 

Scrambling to his feat, the boy would immediately begin looking for his friend once more, or at least the particular friend of Haruyuki. If he encountered Lilina, Ren, Syaoran, or any of the others it would certainly be an added bonus, but the thought was not forefront on the boy's mind. "This way." Alba answered in response to Izzy's swiveling, questing looks, the four legged creature directing him to his teacher as calls began to fill the air, the sound of other shinobi looking to locate each other in the mess. 

 

"Here!" Izzy said in response to Haruyuki, trotting up to his mentor with Alba close on his trail. He still clutched his left bicep, though it was hard to tell if he felt some sort of relief from the pressure or was taking assurance that the glancing blow had not left a gaping wound in his arm regardless of how much it hurt. Izzy could tolerate pain to a certain extent, as  long as the pain wasn't bloody and involved someone as he cared for it. He really had no input on where anyone else was located, having been trapped in his own little world of battle for most of the duration of the fight, but instead waiting as patiently as he could for Haruyuki to pass judgement [which meant, of course, that he was shifting his weight from foot to foot, eyes roaming and head twitching in the direction of any new sight or sound]. 

Posted

Her chest burned with the sensation of mutual meaning when Raz clutched the vest she slung at him.  It was strange for her, having been usually detached from empathy.  This time though, she couldn’t help but feel a warm hand of love brush against her when Raz held on to his wife’s vest.  Lilina had worn that vest, even though it was merely but for a limited time, he chose her to receive that vest.  Maybe it was all he had with him to accommodate womanly figures, but the symbolism was enough to make her feel connected.  Korin was a part of the NCIA so wrote this vest, which made Lilina feel connected to this woman.  It was a shared experience, one that was fleeting from shinobi records.
 
“You are, Raz.”  She replied, inching closer to him in retort that he tried to pass off the virtue to Korin instead of himself.  Although it was touching that he felt so strongly for her, Team Oto could only vouch for Raz and yet to them he was raised higher than most praise.  It wasn’t that Raz was the perfect being, but each one of them recognized that he accepted them.  That pretty much was what they all wanted and needed.  “You taught me to have hope and screw what anyone says, because it only matters what I believe.”  She was referencing finding her mother and proving that she was the devil itself due to her blood.  Frigid crazy bitch, sometimes, but that wasn’t due to her bloodline.  If it were anyone else, she would jump down their throat on hypocritical notes since Raz currently didn’t seem very hopeful to her.  But she respected him too much, so a gentle reminder would serve enough.
 
It was uncanny that she could feel such a live force around her- it was even haunting.  To a non-sensor, feeling someone’s or something’s chakra always was significant.  Whether it was some miracle or something extremely bad, so the fact that she felt something upstairs meant normally she wouldn’t even go near.  But this wasn’t normal.  Raz seemed convinced that his wife was upstairs emitting such an energy, so that was their destination.  She was sure Ren and Yue would back her up if that thing was malicious, or worse, if that thing were a possessed Korin…but that would be too cruel to share allowed.  Obviously, demons had the power to possess.  There was no telling how they might have fed on Korin.  It was complete and utter stupidity to go up there, but of course that was Team Oto’s strong point.  She finally reached him, moving around to his back.  She figured the boys would support his shoulders while she balanced his back and made sure the whole crew didn’t tumble backwards.  “Don’t you dare say that one last time shit again.  We have talking toads and you still think something’s impossible.”

 

[10106]

Posted

He never felt the weight of the cracked ground hit his back as Mizujin laid him somewhat softly down.  The dead weight sack of meat and bones was still breathing, albeit not in perfect rhythm.  It was clear that his body was in the processes of recovery, as it was so needed.  Even when Terrick’s green and blue entwined chakra seeped into his body, he remained unconscious.  The Hokage’s breathing seemed steadier and his muscles were a shade less tense.  He would recover in time, although the sooner he woke the more pain he would find himself with.  Unless he was awakened, it was unclear if he would be out for a couple of minutes or a few hours.  

 

[9662]

 

 

Haruyuki’s eyes shot towards the voice of his student and as thay laid on him, he couldn’t help but beam.  Izzy was unquestionably unfit for the task he was handed, but he had survived and contributed, a noteworthy feat of any underclass ninja.  And this was his student, a true representative of the Kirigakure that was often muddled in the bloodlust histories.  

 

“You did better than I could ever expect, Izz’.”

 

His voice was filled with a warm pride and a gentle smile- something unfamiliar to Haruyuki but nonetheless he was able to pull it off.  His attention shifted to the white fox that trotted up behind the Namikaze and both man and beast exchanged a wordless look of appreciation and respect.  Alba took to his normal state of selective speaking, as normal.  Suddenly the Hisame felt a light breath of energy creep slowly into him.  He peered down to see chakra leeching into him, a medical technique- very nice.  When someone brought up Raz, Haruyuki was far calmer than he should have been.  He never forgot about his best friend, he had an insurance system that let him acknowledge the state of emergency…he hoped.

 

“Before I came over here, I sent a clone to search for Raz.  The fact that it wasn’t blown up or blew itself up to tell me something was wrong, or that it couldn’t find him is a good sign.  Team Oto-Kiri, let’s head for the Harakage’s Tree.  Make sure he has his space when we find him, he’s gonna need time with his wife.  And this place that drinks are at better have good liquor.  Not much can top Kiri’s Saltstone Whiskey.”

 

Again, Haruyuki approached the situation as if he had a manor of authority.  He presumed Raz was still alive, so he didn’t wish for the group to become disheartened (mainly Izzy) and he guessed that Korin, if she remained was still at the Tree…and were she alive or dead Raz would need time with her.  It was dangerous to bring so many people to crowd around the Tree, but he wasn’t in the mood to forbid them.

[5995]

Posted

It was like a punch to the god damn stomach hearing Raz's weak and stumbling words especially when the man started talking about it being the last time. Yue felt a surge of anger at those words fueled by his frustration at feeling so fucking useless this entire time though Lilina beat him to scolding Raz for it as their bloody and broken teacher struggled to his feat.

Yue would jerk when Raz mentioned that he could sense Korin a tiny flicker of hope that burned painfully in his chest. Yue had assumed the worse when it came to Raz's wife if she had been present in the village when whatever the fuck had happened went down but if this crazy fuck half dead and dying could feel her here then it was something. Yue's knowledge of the world leaders and the whos and whats might be limited in comparison to others who were born and raised shinobi but he was entirely ignorant of it which meant he knew that Korin was a healer, something Raz really fucking needed right now.

"Yeah, speakin' of toads, maybe it's your fuckin' turn to go swimming in that oil shit." Yue said moving to relieve Ren of Raz's weight knowing that if there was something nasty between them and there that Ren would need his hands free to use ninjutsu. "And she's right; you survived us for fuck's sake. Don't think you're gettin' rid of us so easy." Carefully Yue would move to Raz's left seeing as even bound with the straps from Yue's chuunin vest the thing was still royally fucked and probably wouldn't be much use in trying to support or balance Raz's weight as Yue carefully lifted his teacher's left arm and slung it over his shoulder wrapping his right hand around Raz's weight knowing that if he had to fucking carry the man up the last flight of stairs he would fucking do it. "You haven't even had the chance to chew me out for punching a god damn Kage in the head. Which, by the fuckin' way, I did. How long do you think it'll take for one of us to cause an international incident without you stoppin' us from doin' dumb shit. Dumber shit, whatever." This was going to be about as sentimental as Yue got and he wasn't quite sure why he felt so compelled to keep talking only that hopefully it gave Raz something to think about other than the pain and the fact that he was close to bleeding out. Yue would look at Ren with grim determination knowing that whatever crazy ninja shit he was using or pretending to feel would be the best indication of what the fuck they were trying to face.

Posted (edited)

"So we are just children fighting wars. That's what all wars are made of.”

 

Korin's old words never quite left his head. They continued to crawl through his skull, reminding him what he continued to live for. Up until now he had pretty much lost hope that he would survive this day, but the words of his students helped him dare to look on the brighter side of things. He believed Korin was still alive, and so long as she was conscious, there was a chance she could heal his broken body. There was a chance that they could all leave this village together and find Hei. He had to believe they could do something.

 

"T-thank...y-you..."

 

Raz whispered under his breath as the team began to pick him up, using themselves as crutches to help him traverse the stairs. Though they might have seen this act as an obvious one, Raz couldn't put into words how much it meant to him, nor could he ever explain how appreciative he was. For all of their arguments, all of their fights, and all of their ignorant actions...Team Oto was worth the effort he put into teaching them. He could see past the exteriors they'd put up. He knew that at their core, they were genuinely good kids who had the misfortune of growing up in a shit hole. They hadn't always had someone there for them when they needed it, and to have them return the favor here and now when it was needed most...well, Raz certainly wouldn't forget this if he lived past this day.

 

So finally the group would begin to take their time going up the spiral staircase that lead to where Raz assumed Korin would be. They'd move as one, since Raz was completely incapable of holding himself up in the slightest. HIs legs wobbled and there were many times where he would have completely toppled down the stairs were it not for Lilina watching his back, or the boys keeping his torso raised. His breathing was becoming more and more ragged as time went on, and it was probably only a matter of time before his lungs had completely collapsed in on themselves. He really couldn't do anything by himself at this point, and it shamed him deeply...but he was strong enough to admit when he needed help. Though the red-maned Sennin was still completely ignorant to the cursed seal being the one thing keeping him together, it was a possibility that the corrupted nature of the thing was only making his motor control even worse. The wild chakra still engulfed his body, but it never lashed out at the three regardless of the fact that Terrick had just attempted to help the man earlier. It was a curious thing.

 

The rain would continue beating down on the earth even as Team Oto had finally resurfaced atop the remnants of the Harakage's Tree, drenching the earth from the darkened skies above. There would be no sign of the super-massive yokai that had threatened to kill all who opposed it, but Raz was not at all concerned about that. He didn't even bother to check around to make sure that there were no other yokai lingering here on the open tree trunk, instead having his distant eyes fall onto what seemed to be Korin's silhouette off towards the center of the tree. Seeing the woman again sparked a fire in Raz's heart that would give him the strength to limp freely out from the grasp of his team, although he did end up stumbling onto one knee as the pain overtook him.

 

"K-Korin....I-I'm h-here...I-I'm..."

 

Raz's weak voice would suddenly come to a halt as he approached the woman's profile. Something was wrong, but he couldn't make out what it was at this distance with his dampened, blood-caked bangs falling over his eyes. A silence lingered over the world as Raz shuffled his way over to his wife, not letting the terrible pain keep him from her. It wasn't until he was about a foot or so away from the woman would he notice exactly what was wrong. The woman was completely immobile and petrified- her skin seemingly turned to bark that mimicked that of the tree they stood on. Roots had formed around her legs to keep her in place, and an arc of tendrils grew out from beneath her to form a complex weaving of branches. There was no indication of life from the woman, and as a matter of fact, all of the girl's energy was being channeled through the roots that clung to her legs, moving down through the stump and presumably through the roots of the tree.

 

Raz had completely frozen in his tracks, his spiral eyes unmoving as he stared at the state in which his wife was petrified. This was no technique she had ever used before. He didn't understand what was going on, but his heart had all but stopped at the sight of her in this state. Turning his neck downwards, the man would read the words that had been carved into the wood beneath her feet;

 

Kusagakure will return, I promise this as my duty as Harakage.

 

The whipping winds that had been stirred up by the raging storm had suddenly stopped, leaving an eerie calm over the village minus the pitter-patter of raindrops beating on the remnants. Raz's body started to shake in its weakened state as he turned his neck back up to look upon his wife's petrified face. His mind was blank. This couldn't be happening. After all that had happened, all they had been through together, all the suffering and laughter...

 

It might have gotten a little bit harder for everyone to breathe all of a sudden.

 

"K-Korin...?"

 

953 Words

10,602 Total

Edited by Eechi-go
Posted (edited)

Thin wisps of golden chakra swirled restlessly around the remnants of the Harakage’s tree, circling endlessly in a uniform school. On occasion one slithered towards the center of the trunk, only to be dashed to pieces against the whipping wind. Raz and his team’s arrival garnered the attention of most of them, their long serpentine forms tailing the group while fighting against the gales. More chakra motes rose from the cracks among the rings of the shattered tree, numerous and shining to be a vibrant beacon in the overcast. And so continued the procession, with ribbons of light gathering in number behind the four shinobi that served as windbreakers. Some ventured underfoot and through fingers, and from contact came feelings of a quiet, prevailing peace and an impulse for sudden, mirthful laughter. Contrary to the landscape, this was the sanctuary of Kusagakure no Sato. Coming upon the last throne of the Harakage, they waited pensively behind the quartet when they paused, circling amongst themselves.

It was when Raz’s emotions suppressed the winds that the wisps moved again, vigorously this time to loom above the petrified figure of Haramatsu Korin in a corona of loose chakra. They’d clash, spinning against one another to create the keening sound of bells. Gradually the halo shrank, energies concentrating as it chimed tumultuously. Silence then consumed the area again as the light vanished. All that remained was a glowing seal of light on Korin’s open palm, and then:

“Raz. I’ve been waiting for you.”

It came not from the petrified figure of Korin, but from below and above. The chakra explosion from Gargantua’s downfall scattered the divine energy within the seal, and it was only with the end of the torrential downpour that the loose chakra reaccumulated. Raz may have a slight recollection of how she’d acquired the mark, given its immensely subtle effects. The glowing seal of divinity spread across the woman’s figure, and slowly emerged from the wooden body was a golden being forged in Korin’s likeliness. She hovered before them an incomplete replica as chakra dissipated from her torso down. It seemed the Gargantua’s disturbance was strong enough to permanently destroy a portion the seal’s chakra reserves.

“It’s gotten loud in this village. I thought it’d be quiet for a while. I can’t hold onto the tree’s roots for long this way though- part of me remains here in this seal, but I must leave soon. But do not despair- I am here. Not just for you, I am also here to ensure Kusagakure’s return. I’m sorry this has been all so... sudden. I’m kinda not sure what I’m supposed to be doing now that all this...uh.

“But in my state becoming the spirit of Kusagakure, I have learned that I am a child loved by fate. Raz, you too are a child loved by fate. And you,”
she’d address the trio at Raz’s side. “How we shaped history with our bare palms- is it not a beloved gift? The power to write your own story- it doesn’t end here! We live on.” With that, a holy aura radiated from Korin’s golden figure to bathe the sennin with the familiar touch of her healing jutsu. It held him in a benevolent embrace, bolstering his limbs to stand solidly before his wife. Korin noticed the broken bonds of Raz’s seal but let it manifest for now. She’d continue with a greater urgency than her previously measured words.

“So talk to me. Leave nothing unsaid this day.”

Edited by Cloudnine
Posted

The small orchestra of light would catch Raz's eye as motes of energy seemingly danced upon the wind. He would have to raise his hand to cover his eyes from the blinding shimmering of the motes, as they were becoming far too bright. It was around then when he'd hear the faint sound of bells around them, dropping his palm to look at his wife's petrified form when the ringing had decided to stop. This light gave him hope by keeping the overwhelming horror at bay. This was only amplified tenfold when he heard the sound of Korin's voice...but his neck couldn't help put look all around from its location of origin. His mouth hung slightly agape in his battered state, feeling rather stupid that he couldn't find the voice despite seeming as though it was all around him. That was when he noticed the golden seal emanating from Korin's palm, followed by a golden, incomplete construct of light in the form of the woman.

 

"K-Korin...how...?" The man would be unable to find the appropriate words to actually ask Korin exactly what was going on. He knew all to well that she specialized in the light element, but things like this...he never knew she had these kinds of techniques. The fact that he could not figure out what they did in the scheme of things only fanned the flames of fear inside his gut. But he would get no direct explanation from the projection of his wife. Instead she sought to encourage him and raise his spirits...but it seemed they both knew that this was probably their last goodbye, but not in the way that Raz had wanted it to go. He had fully accepted his death, as it seemed like the one constant in this whole scenario that would end up ringing true. Yet as the gentle torrent of light filled Raz with a celestial warmth that slowly but surely repaired his body, he couldn't help but close his eyes and pray to whatever gods existed that they would take his life instead of Korin's. It seemed as though they would not answer these pleas, and instead his battered and beaten form would become healed, although it was far from perfect. The spiral wound that encompassed his palm and went down and around his forearm would remain, although it did stop bleeding. It looked as though that wound was destined to be a scar that he would carry with him through the rest of his days. His bones would be mended back together, and any open wounds and burns that didn't originate from the Rasengan's backfire would be soothed once more. Eventually Raz would be able to stand up straight without the painful wobbling of his knees, but when Korin spoke up with an urgency in her voice, his eyes would open to reveal that his blue iris had shifted into an orange coloration. Although the rain had drenched him from head to toe, it would not be surprising if Korin could pick out the tears from the raindrops.

 

"I am not...leaving you b-behind...." His voice would come out easier now that his lungs had been repaired, but he was trying his hardest to swallow the lump of sorrow building up in his throat. His tone was laced with a hint of anger and frustration, but it was not at all directed at his wife. Rather, he was angry with himself for letting all of this happen. "Rasen's the leader, right? Raz- well, Raz is... he's a good person. You shouldn't worry. He won't leave anyone behind." The words echoed in his head as a reminder of the faith she had in him. How could he possibly leave her behind? How could he let down the one person who had such unshakeable faith in him? His eyes continued to dart around the tree trunk, hopelessly trying to think of a way to save the woman. Yet despite the immense catalog of techniques he had aquired since the start of his shinobi career...he had nothing. Nothing that could save her. Nothing that could reverse what had already been done. His fists clenched so hard in raw frustration that he almost drew blood. He felt so...powerless.

 

"I'm your h-husband...it was my job to p-protect and take c-care of you..." His voice started to shake now as he thought back to the night he had proposed to her- laying together in a hammock, watching the sun set, and playing his guitar to serenade her. "...b-but I've completely failed to do t-that every time it came down to it no matter how h-hard I've tried..." And with that, his memories would flow back to all the battles they had fought in together, from their first meeting in Lorien all the way up to the battle to reclaim Otogakure. It seemed like in every instance, the man ended up being more trouble than he was worth. From almost getting her executed by the NCIA for causing her to show compassion, to fighting with his cursed seal back in Kiri, to being unable to fight in her stead when Aiko was resurrected and beat her within an inch of her life. Yet despite all this, she was more often than not the only reason he survived most of the battles he had fought in. Were it not for her care and compassion, he probably wouldn't have made it to today.

 

"...I-I never d-deserved the title, and I am so s-sorry for that..."

 

Shame piled itself on his shoulders as he was unable to look her in the eye now, glancing down at the carving in the tree trunk below. Even now, everything she had done was to sustain and preserve all that she cared for. He had so much he needed to say, so much so that it was only upsetting him more. The clock was ticking and the fear of losing her before time ran out was probably the most terrifying thing he had ever experienced in his entire life.

 

"I-I w-wanted...more time..." More time to think. More time to talk. More time spent together with her. There was no way he could explain how much he loved her in a single life time. How could he do it now?

 

1,046 Words

11,668Total

Posted (edited)

“Raz.” She’d state sharply to draw his attention away from his inward spiral of shame. Her eyes narrowed into a stern countenance, daring him to avert his gaze again. “There is no time for that.” Korin wanted no more talk of this darkness, no more regrets of not being able to challenge the inevitable. Yes she could have fled to live out her days in Konoha or Oto like the surviving villages likely have done, but what of her duty to her people? To shirk from the wishes of her people by not honoring the responsibility that came with her mantle of Harakage would be to further desecrate the blackened lands of Kusagakure. Above all sense of duty however, Korin did it to reclaim her home. She wanted a place to call home, and a home for her people to return to.

“I’ve bound myself to this land of my own volition. My land. There is nothing you can do, nor will I allow you to. You have nothing to be sorry for- we both have done all that we can. So what’s there left to lose? I didn’t think you failed- that’s not what a husband is meant to do. Hell, even if you failed, then you failed but you gave it a shot. That’s not what our love is.” Korin paused as she realized she’d been putting far too much force behind her words. It was something she had gotten flustered with before- Raz’s incredible expectations for himself and the world paired with his inflexibility for events to occur outside the boundaries of those expectations. In truth, that was something Korin also admired and envied. Furthermore, Raz always desired to be the knight in shining armor in all their past encounters, and despite how endearing Korin found it before, now it made it hard to part. Not that she was leaving... it was more like she wasn’t leaving and that was the issue.

Her tone softened again as she continued, “All I asked of you was to let me stand beside you, and you have let me do just that. And though it wasn’t forever, it was more than enough. You’ve changed me for the better, that’s for sure. You’ve shared each day with me, each night, each morning. We’ve had one love and one lifetime together, that’s all I could ever ask of you.”

Edited by Cloudnine
Posted

 

Raz winced slightly in response to Korin's sharp use of his name. He knew he shouldn't be talking like that, but it was a provoked emotional response that he was having a hard time controlling. He had a mountain of guilt piled up on the inside because he could have found a way to prevent this were he not so against learning his future from the Elder Toad Sage. He realized now that they were only trying to warn him ahead of time, but he wouldn't have any of it.

 

"I g-guess...there was no way this could have ended with us p-passing away from old age on the front p-porch in our r-rocking chairs...not with the lives we l-lead..." It was a fantasy at best, one that he tricked himself into believing was possible. Yet how soon he had forgotten the reason he originally proposed to her five years ago when they were only 17. Ninja had piss-poor lifespans, that was just a sad fact. It was not unheard of for people to marry at young ages because of this. They had made more enemies than they probably even realized by being Hachinin, so this was only a matter of time...but...

 

"I am...p-proud of you..." He said honestly, looking back up at her as his voice shook from trying to swallow his sadness. "I know...you n-never thought you deserved the title of Harakage...I know that you were n-never confident in the position...but you are the best leader that your p--people have ever asked for." Many Kage went down fighting to protect their village, that was true. Very few Kage sacrificed themselves just for the chance to rebuild their village. There was a chance that Korin's plan would never come to fruition, and that her sacrifice would have been for naught. And yet she risked it anyway, because she loved her people and wanted to provide them with a home. "I p-promise you that I will take care of your p-people...I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to give your people a h-home...and I too swear that Kusagakure will return s-some day...and you will never be forgotten...by anyone." Raz too had a deep love for the people of Hara no Kuni. They took care of him when the Oto resistance had failed, and above all they were Korin's subjects. He would have done anything for them, just as he would for the people of Oto. Now would be no different. He would find a way to finish the job that Korin had started.

 

Taking a hesitant step forward and strengthened legs, Raz would extend his hand towards the phantom image of Korin before him. He wished to touch her cheek again, but he seriously doubted that this form would have granted him such flexibility. "Thank you..." He'd begin, closing his eyes tight before reopening them. "Thank you for taking a gamble on me...thank you for risking your life in the NCIA to show me kindness...thank you for always taking care of me and healing my wounds...thank you for standing by my side simply because you wanted to be there....but above all, thank you for choosing me over every other man in the world..."

 

Taking a shaky breath, Raz would keep his eyes locked on Korin's when he'd utter out the next few words. "...Is..is there something...you want me to say to Hei?"

 

If Raz could have one victory today, one tiny thing he could say went right...it would be that Korin remained ignorant to Hei's disappearance. If the woman could pass on without knowing that her son was still in danger, believing that he was home safe and protected...well quite frankly he would have traded his own life for that information to remain secret to her.

 

631 Words

12,299Total

Posted (edited)

Korin gazed at Raz silently as he spoke, her countenance a mirror of her husband’s sorrow. While she had immediately sealed her energies into the Harakage’s tree, Korin was still Korin and as a result, not immune to uncertainty and worry that walked along the distant path before her. The sealing technique had been passed down the Harakage’s scrolls since the founding of the village and the position, but as made apparent by the technique’s effects, it was seldom utilized and never recorded to completion. What awaited her tomorrow? Next spring? …Eternity? Yet even with her and Kusagakure’s fate uncharted despite her sacrifices, hope surged through the blackened lands. Winter was coming upon them, but the promise of spring was not diminished. Time remains unchanged and Korin knew her village’s prospects will brighten with each and every coming day.

“Thank you. I know you will take care of my people. But my name... I don’t wish for fame. Let it be forgotten, if to ensure Kusagakure will not be forgotten. In light of recent events, the village and my name will been mentioned across the continent- that already is too much. This are a quiet village, it doesn’t need that. Don’t... fret,” she paused, “live life unbound, Raz. Celebrate the good memories, and don’t be burdened by the bad. The kindness you saw in me- I see it in you too. There is nothing the virtues of my heart can do that you can’t.

“As for Hei,” she’d glance at the sky in thought, and then throw her head back in mirth. “Grow up to be more like your mom than your dad- he’s too reckless! But not too much since you’ll probably be too shy to talk to girls then. Eat your veggies. Don’t slack off in class. Try new things. Anything you do- I’m proud of you! And to both of you...”

A spectral hand covered Raz’s hand upon her cheek. “Don’t forget to laugh every day. And thanks again for everything.” And with that, the golden projection of Korin fell backwards, its human form splashing apart as it hit the tree trunk. Loose energy flooded the area once again until it dissipated into the earth and winds. She was ready now to herald in a silent spring. The winter will be the harshest yet, but life perseveres. From atop her eternal vigil, the first fleeting signs of life returned to Kusagakure no Sato. The woody and gnarled throne in which the Harakage stood before budded and blossomed into a pale wreath of magnolias: hounoki blooms. It was the beginning of her promise and her second chance at serving her people.  Korin was her village, and she will rise and fall with its legacy.

Edited by Cloudnine
Posted

Always the modest one, Raz did not find it surprising that Korin preferred the world forget about her in favor of her village's recovery. This was one request he found he may unable to fulfill, as he was intent on helping Kusagakure pull itself out from the abyss, and if telling her tale would commit more people to the cause, he was certain that it would be worth it in the end. With that, the woman would attempt to encourage him by making it a point that the kindness he fell in love with her for swelled just as strongly inside of him as well. He never believed that to be true, to be perfectly honest. Though he was willing to give those who served in the NCIA a second chance, he found himself harboring a hatred towards Kumogakure even after the war ended in Fang thanks to the psychopath they put in charge of Oto. It didn't help that there was obvious Kumo influence in the village at the moment, cause Raz to seethe underneath the surface, trying to point fingers at who forced Korin into using such a technique in the first place. His scarred hand reached up to clutch his left breast, digging his nails into the flesh as he was seemingly trying to tear the malice out from his heart just to please her.

 

When she spoke of Hei and didn't mention his kidnapping, Raz's eyes became visibly wider as though a wave of relief had washed over him. Korin could have just been humoring him by not mentioning her knowledge of their son's whereabouts, but Raz would instead take this as the tiniest victory he could muster.  A small, weak smile would form in the corner of his mouth as Korin expressed how she wanted Hei to be more like her due to Raz's recklessness. It was a legitimate concern, but he knew she meant it as a joke. Talking about their son growing up wasn't helping the depression he was seeping into, however. Of course, he was basically asking for that when he requested Korin's last words for him, but they needed to be delivered. Hei's future hung in the balance now, and even if he was alive at this point, his life was going to be very, very different now that his mother was passing.

 

Raz's hand 'touching' her cheek would suddenly feel surrounded by an intense warmth despite the fact that it didn't seem like contact was possible in her form. The girl thanked him one last time, causing Raz to shakily mutter one more thing out to her. "I-I will always...love you." He had to tell her that one last time. No matter what happened in his life from here on out that would always ring true. There was a magic she brought to his life that could not be replaced, and as the woman fell back into the tree trunk, Raz's hand would remain extended in the air as he felt all the warmth her presence provided being sucked out from his body. With her disappearance, the green in his left iris would slowly but surely shift into its crimson opposite.

 

Silence would fall over the village again now that Korin's jutsu had subsided, leaving her husband frozen in the same position for quite a few moments. His hand fell weakly back to his side as his shoulders began to slump forward. The sealed kanji on his back began to break away, chakra fizzling away into the air as the cursed seal began to pulse and twist with life underneath his skin. After all he had been through over the last few days, it seemed as though his willpower and emotional control had all been lost with Korin's final departure. His flesh begin to darken a few shades, while the tips of his hair started to fade into an obsidian tint until not a single hint of red could be found in his locks. The spiral scar that swirled around his right arm began to emanate with a dark green chakra now that his tenketsu was practically bare. The chakra spun wildly around his arm, revealing the demonic possession that was beginning to kick in. Claws began to extend from his fingertips, and it seemed as though Raz caught on to what was happening too late, as he quickly panicked and attempted to preform a stream of handseals. Another seal would glow in the palm of his hand, which was quickly forced back over his shoulders and aimed at the cursed seal sitting between his shoulder-blades. His arm was forcibly halted mere inches from the flesh, however, and a voice began to boom inside of his skull.

 

"Your failure is now complete. You bargained your body and soul to me in order to find your woman and save her village. You have an outstanding debt- and I intend to collect."

 

Raz's control would be completely lost now, banished to the back of his mind as the Gobi took over in full. The seal in his hand dissipated, clawing over the cursed seal as though it was Raz's final, spiteful attempt to get a grip on himself. His back and spine began to contort sickeningly until two pairs of black wings burst out from between his shoulder blades, causing a hurricane of obsidian feathers to spiral out in all directions. Thunder and lightning boomed throughout the village as this horrifying display went on, winds beginning to blow from all directions with enough force to make it difficult for his team to keep themselves on the tree trunk. Gazing over his shoulder at his team, the three would be able to finally see the color change in his eyes- his blue eye faded to orange and his green eye to red. There was an aura of menace around him, but he did not waste time to chat. With one mighty flap of his wings, Raz would ascend now over the village in a crucible of corrupt chakra, using sound ninjutsu to amplify his voice so everyone in the village could hear. Both Raz and the Gobi could be heard as one.

 

"WHO WAS IT!? WHICH ONE OF YOU DID THIS!?"

 

1,038 Words

13,337Total

Posted
He still slept and dreamt, silent in his own tranquility.  A body had a mind of its own and when it demanded sleep, its host very well needed to abide by its demands.  His mind though was far from asleep.  It dreamt of pictures and words- sounds and smells and even touch.  The sad longing his heart held to brush the hair from his late wife Silvana’s precious milky eyes  begged him to fall into the trance of endless sleep.  That would be the place where his soul could swim to hers again, but the next thought of his gleaming daughter anchored the Hokage’s vitals.   It was to her, Zelfie, did he owe everything a father could give.  Were he a father before he accepted the position, perhaps another man would have been Hokage at this point, but too many looked to him for guidance.  His pride and joy was his daughter and her grace was higher prestige than any cap and gown ever tailored.  She was vulnerable now that he openly admitted she existed, but she was protected.  He envisioned the walls of Konohagakure rising up with its great noble families, shielding her.  Kasumi, Toruka and Nevan flashed before his eyes; his closest colleagues of Konoha.   And then that black haired woman that walked past him at the exams.  She strode with a purpose only moments before…the sky broke silver.

 

The man who appeared earlier before he his spirit was devoured by the shadow of the Gargantuan yokai appeared before Yatako.  His sullen grey eyes were heavy with tender care as if he were looking at Yatako like a father and his intentions stretched further to every shinobi here.  It must have been how the Rikkodu Sennin would have felt should he see all practitioners of ninjutsu in the current age.  The man didn’t speak, but he had a special sadness and a special love that belittled the drama in the transforming age.  When he walked through a forest, the trees felt young.

 

Orhalo Orhalo Orhalo, the name of the Wantentei God that Yatako worpshiped, that this man must have worshiped.  The Temple where Yatako ran into the first yokai, before they appeared into the world.  One foot in Fate, one foot in Chaos, that’s what we are we alright we fickle humans.  Not bound by Fate and Chaos, that’s what they are.  Those who now tip the balance of the world.  We were safe, we were secure and now when men have knit well being, a sealed secret is unbound.  The world really is written on a script.  

 

A dry grass, a heavy rain, setting snow, a foggy mist and an endless scorch- all cycles in different filters walked through his vision.  Unconscious symbols ripe with meaning should he be able to decipher the meaning betwixt their pattern.  A growing sprout, an overgrown city and the faces of Hokage in yore.  Their mountain honored their contribution and the love in their people.  Patterns and symbols that drove the unconscious and themes that fueled patterns of the human race.  Naiyume, Ageshio, Uzumaki.  The past unearths the present.  That black haired woman again, and the Ageshio head Asura, his voice straining with orders and his stones were falling behind him.  That girl, Lilina, she was there too, rummaging around like a in a labyrinth with blackness spilling across her skin.  A single strand of red hair.  A volcano erupts and the ethereal language born of the Gargantua fills the air.  An earthquake cracks open a chasm in this strange world and Yatako sees Syaoran on the other side with a darkness clouding over him.  The divide thickens and shadows form faces backing the Hokage while troubled emerald eyes brood over teal flames that surround him.  An ocean churns and breaks the land as the divide twists into a whirling tide spraying salt into Yatako’s eyes.  The saline stung and his great white knowing eyes winced.

 

And the Hokage slept on, whilst demons called.

 


[10325]


 



 

Haruyuki’s clone watched the events unfold in silence and shadow.  It appeared that no one paid attention to him, which was probably for the better, so he could watch undisturbed.  Even for the clone though, he felt a sort of helplessness watching and not interacting with Raz and an even deeper remorse when he say Korin appear, wrapped in golden glory.  As a boy, Haruyuki had a connection with Korin and protected her while she stayed in Kiri, he had developed a set of feelings for her but his love for his brother overshown that.  So when Raz showed up looking for her, Haruyuki had little qualms about letting her go.  Although that sentiment still held true, seeing her again kicked up a shade of blue for him.  Korin was a dear friend, who was passing along.  The first of the Hachinin and the only Kage of Kusa.  In silence it watched and when she faded, he did too, leaving a streamline of memories to float back to its creator.

 

Haruyuki stretched his arms to the sky and stretched his burning muscles as he walked towards the famed Harakage’s Tree.  He walked at a speed that was still human so no stragglers were left behind, and namely that was only Izzy.  The rain had stilled, but the grey clouds still lingered over the dashed hopes village.  It wasn’t an incredibly far walk, since they were already in the Market Square, but it sure was a dismal one.  He remembered days past where these streets were bustling with people and the sweet scents of floral creations.  Birds sung in the sky and the village was wrapped in a garden, but now this wasteland reminded him of the cold, unforgiveable Country of Fang.  The seat of the NCIA had comparable damage to this.  There were native survivors of course, but the scenery was already morbid to start with.  And despite the graveyard-like appearance Kusa was radiating now it was radiating something new.  The Hisame could see golden light massing at the shattered tree ahead with an aura that didn’t seem to resemble anything malicious.  

 

Carefully approaching, he could see the light waning and waxing like the moon until finally his mind was intercepted with the wavelengths of his clone, relaying all the information it had learned while in the audience of a broken Raz.  A breath of elation in honor of Raz’s life filled his lungs followed by a grit of his teeth to see the state of the man and the influence of a demon on him.  This wouldn’t bode well, but like hell would he fall in worship of a demon.  Haruyuki knew well the tailed beasts were subdued before- if they could be bested once, why not again? He stopped though and twisted his head behind him to find Izzy.

 

“Get down, stay low.”

 

A part of him felt bad for always telling Izzy to hide, but this would be the way of shinobi for him.  If he disobeyed orders, his life was on the line and a good shinobi had knew when to ante and fold.  He would not lose his student to another Namikaze, not after he spent time trying to make Raz seem less than a terror.  Good work there.  The stillness that blanketed the village was ripped away with cyclonic winds and a bursting display of lightning.  Raz was being used as a puppet and this just pricked Haruyuki more.  On top of the Sanbi defying his clutch, the Gobi was mixing his taint with Raz.  Frankly he was disgusted at people making deals with demons.  He wondered if anyone else had such a repertoire with these creatures, enough to take a shot in the dark how they worked.  

 

Popping open a scroll from his belt, Haruyuki began to trace figures and lines imbuing his design with life giving ink that swirled about him.  The ink wrapped around his feet as he began to walk steadily towards the flying Raz.  The Hisame began to elevate as a long snaking figure was born beneath his sandals.  The form of a great leviathan was born beneath his feet and carried the SHADAKI general well into the stormy sky.  The sound chakra boomed around him, enough to cause an earache if he didn’t spend ample time in Otogakure, learning their craft.  

 

“Demon! Look through his mind, you’ll figure out the ones that came with him couldn’t have.  And those that didn’t, fought the yokai.  Your culprit isn’t among us.”

 

His icy blue eyes flashed towards Raz’s orange and red ones.  He was mulling over unsuccessfully the thought that the demon might listen to reason.  As long as Raz was wrapped in this emotion, logic was out the window.  Gobi probably too felt remorse for these people in a strange sort of way.  Haruyuki could blame it on the Hokage, but he was too valiant and the easy target was Sato his protection of Izzy was enough to save him from blame.  The leviathan rose to Raz’s plane of ecliptic and began to orbit around him.  He needed to safely get closer.

 

“What Kage has been more secretive than the Kazekage? I recall my student mentioning the Tsuchikage saying he would destroy a city.”

 

[6870]

Posted (edited)

Their fallen brother was broken beyond assistance it seemed, but one by one the team formed the pillars of support that Raz would need to continue on. The last pillar to help their teacher would be Ren, who would give as much aid as he could in the form of lifting his friend from the ground. With the aid of Yue the weight seemed much less to bear, and Lilina would serve as their safety net. In a sense it was a representation of their team, the two lifters who fed off each other to maintain balance and then the one who remained to catch the two when they fell. Over the years this triad would be tested many times, but tonight the triad wished only to help and for the first time they had all united in perfect unison. Together they brought their brother up the ever winding staircase, all together wondering what lay ahead.

It was Ren who believed that Raz indeed knew what he was talking about. The boy had developed a new sense, and that sense was telling him that an intense source of… light…. was waiting for them at the end of the stairs. The chakra had no malice and emanated energy that Ren had never felt before, but in his defense he had not used these powers very long. Fortunately for Ren his sense did not betray him for the chakra came from none other than the wife of Kinsen Rasen.

Her beauty was unparalleled, and if Ren was a lesser man (which goes to say a lot) he would have hit on her, rivaled only by some of the most beautiful creatures on the planet. Ren’s mouth would almost run agape, but the site of his friend in pain drove the stake home for Ren. The group would not be able to sustain Raz for long before the man fell on the floor to crawl towards his presumably lost life. At least that is what Ren believed at the moment. The boy could sense that the being before them was purely chakra, and with that idea in mind Ren believed that the girl was not of this world. However, the woman before them began to speak in a beautiful tone. She addressed Raz exclusively, ignoring the rest of the group, discussing how she had sacrificed herself for the village. Apparently this form was granted to her from the use of a jutsu she had used. To say that Ren was impressed would be an understatement, as the girl had avoided death with the technique, but the price seemed to take a toll on her husband. Raz wept as if he was not a grown man but no one in the world could hold that against the man, after all not many people had to watch their loved ones fade into oblivion.

The moment seemed to be too short for Raz to get his feel, as it only lasted a few minutes. Ren grew sad for his teacher as Korin bid her farewells to the man, but knew there was nothing anyone on the team could do about it. Their only duty at the moment was to watch over their friend and help him through this time, but even Ren knew that was a pipe dream. In the end Raz could only heal himself, but the team would be able to provide a little aide to ease the pain.

Unfortunately the pain that Raz was experiencing began to grow at an exponential rate. Korin had disappeared, and in her place the chakra that had previously been suppressed upon Korin’s healing now began to ferociously erupt from Raz’s body. The boy instantly identified the chakra and began to back up. He would not get very far before Gobi gained complete control of Raz and began to force the transformation across the man’s body. Instantly Raz became a demonic figure with an almost anti-raz feel to him. Wings sprouted from shoulder blades that were bare, and flight instantly granted the demonic Raz an audience with the sky. Ren was a combination of both being terrified and amazed. This Anti-Raz had completely suppressed all of their teacher’s chakra, and now ran rampart in his body. The beast’s first task seemed to be identifying the culprit of the attack. A seemingly useless motion as the villain was far away from the village by now…

Ren would gain access to his motion once more, and immediately turned towards his team mates. “I need y’all to know that Raz has been completely taken over by a foreign chakra right now” Ren said, knowing that his teammates could tell the obvious, “and right now he is parading around with kage level power. While this is our fight there is not much we can do right now. I am open for any suggestions, but I feel our best option at this point is to run and be there for Raz when he powers down. On the other hand, we may be the only people in this city right now who are capable of bringing him back to his senses. What do y’all think right now?”

 

[863/10363]

Edited by Leon
Posted
The rain stilled leaving Sato to gander at the world around him without hindrance. The place where he sat was once filled with happiness and festivities, but now that place was just a decimated patch of dirt. The silence that lurked accompanied by the remains of the ruins of Kusagakure only amplified the somber aura that seemed to fill the air. There were no words to accompany the scenery that he witnessed, only respective silence while he folded his legs towards his body with his feet resting between his thighs and the ground. A single finger dug into the dirt and began to carve letters into the ground. If there were any survivors of this catastrophe, hopefully they would find the strength and guidance they needed to carry their body and mind towards the future. 

 

The Kumogakure shinobi slowly let out a sigh while his own memories of his first time in Kusa danced around the confines of his mind. It started with a mission that seemed successful and almost was, but ultimately failed and tore apart his old team one by one. At the time he was unaware of how much the failure of his mission would alter the events of his life and set him on a new path. "I guess I have some things to thank you for Korin." He had met the woman back in fang after she healed him from a freak accident and up until Kusa, they had worked together. She had also filled him in on the details about his cousin's death, which helped Sato have a peace of mind, knowing he did not die for a lost cause. She made a good friend and as the world descended into chaos once more, this area would remain disconsolate without her. 

 

The movement of carving letters into the ground ceased as lightning flickered away from his finger which now rested on the last letter. With both hands on the ground he forced himself upwards and transitioned into a standing, upright stretch. A weary smile formed on his lips as he stared at the letters which spelled 'requiem'. It was his homage to those who had perished in Kusagakure as well as others who suffered under the hands of the yokai. The crashing sound of thunder from behind him disrupted his moment of serene and forced the Kumogakure shinobi to pivot one hundred and eighty degrees to the right, the Harakage’s tree now in sight. The amplified voice of what Sato recognized as the oto-nin that was married to Korin combined with a strange and dark voice boomed throughout the area. If it were not for his recognition of the creature's voice, he would have automatically assumed that the creature was a yokai. 

 

"What the hell..." 

 

The simple three-word phrase was muttered softly to himself accompanied with a slightly trembling of his body. His eyes lingered upon the sickening form of the oto-nin, whom seemed to be possessed by some sort of demon. Demon was perhaps the best description that came to Sato's mind, while his body reluctantly moved forward. The invisible malicious aura that emanated the transformed oto-nin was different than those of the yokai or even one who possessed the death gate. No, it was something that seemed to thrive in hatred. The mere presence of this transformed shinobi sent shivers down the Senuskai's spine with each step that he took. 

 

"Haruyuki has a point. Look through his mind and you'll see that those here where around the same vicinity as him before this event occurred." 

 

His blue eyes flashed upwards as he stared towards the shinobi while his voice projected loud enough to be heard. He wasn't sure why Haruyuki had stated to see through his mind (or why he chose to also say the same thing), however it had confirmed the fact that the Otogakure shinobi was possessed. What surprised the Senuskai the most was the fear he felt while he stared directly into the eyes of the possessed shinobi. His allegiance to Kumogakure did not bode well with the oto-nin earlier and now he assumed was no different. For the first time in a while he felt his own presence balancing on a thin wire, the fear of death creeping from the back of his mind. "I won't run." To speak up in the presence of one that considered you an enemy and who's strength surpassed yours was a tad foolish perhaps, however to stay silent or run would only incriminate himself. Sato's face remained expressionless, only concentrating on Raz.

 

"I would risk my life if it meant a chance to restore Kusagakure. If you disagree with my words, then at least hear me out. None of us here have the power to cause such a catastrophe. Hell, we had trouble taking down a yokai of gargantuan proportions. So if not us, then what creature or being has to power to cause a disaster on this scale?"

 

[827 words post]

[7713 words total]
Posted

Pushing Raz up the last of the shattered tree was no easy feat, even when it was split three ways. There was a dead weight gravity that pushed against Raz it seemed, as if his bones themselves weighed like steel. His resolve was shortening and the foreign chakra made it seem even harder to exert their strength on him. Perhaps Team Oto as well could feel the strength of their stubbornness waning when their famed teacher was before them, bones, blood and bruises visible. He was vulnerable and his crutch was a demon. Perhaps it was that she was raised in the NCIA, but fighting and dying on your own terms was a fiction to the NCIA. Though they identified that just because it was a fiction didn’t mean it wasn’t beneficial. It trickled down to a dire to life and a desire for purpose.

In retrospect, she had spent only a little of her life with Raz but he was a hell of a greater father figure than she ever had. His age pinpointed that he was more of a big brother, but those details weren’t important to Lilina. To see Raz die here…she absolutely could not fathom that. It would essentially invalidate any form of protection she had- it would be just like life to throw that on her. She was, after all, primed to be a survivalist. But maybe, just maybe that wasn’t her fate. She could believe that if Raz lived to see tomorrow. When she compressed her swelling fear of Raz’s safety, she was left light headed and clear minded and oddly, oddly calm for herself. She was able to smile at Yue’s comments of surviving them. Heck, if he could do that, he might survive a meteor impact straight to the face. “If you leave us alone in the world, it won’t be long until it’s an omelet.”

She didn’t doubt that Raz would be able to sense his wife and she hoped it wasn’t a touch of dementia. It was reasonable to believe when one trotted close to a chakra signature so often; it became recognizable even for those non-sensors. Though given his state, she quietly appraised the likelihood of mental disease seeping in.

The final push up the stairs came with solemn relief. The Naiyume girl’s mind was being pinched with fingers of stress and fatigue that she completely forgot to check if there were any yokai in the room because it felt too natural and still once she got up there. In fact, she didn’t notice the absence of the gargantuan yokai since it was so quiet, with the exception of the terrible wind storm. Her dull orange eyes fell on the wooden statue of a very pretty girl that was comprise entirely of bark. She swallowed and then made a gaping sound, trying to suck in a labored breath. The air felt suddenly incredibly thin, as if the earth itself stole away with winds. For once, words escaped her and she had nothing to say.

And then a flood of golden chakra winked into being, forming a halo around the room and differential light motes floating around. It felt far from sinister- far from demonic so surprisingly her first suspect wasn’t a yokai. It was, in fact, her mother although selfishly it wasn’t so. The light presence felt motherly enough and the warmth it generated and the protection felt like the Naiyume Lydea she longed to see. But when she realized it was light and not her mother, her skin pricked up and suddenly her heart beat like a drum. What was light if it wasn’t an Ageshio? They had come to Kusa too, come to hunt her and killer for beating Shuuhei. Her sudden anxiety was only drained when it was confirmed this was Korin, the Harakage and their teacher’s wife. But that too, added a sense of fright for the girl. If those who died still linger, than was anything really truly dead?

Loved by fate. That’s how Korin described it in all her spectral wisdom described it. For better or for worse, that accurately described some things happening. But whether that meant ‘loved to be loved’ or ‘loved to be played with’ was entirely a different interpretation. Still, she remained silent because not even her craziness knew how to make words.

When the projected faded, an awful feeling pulsated around the tree, like the earth was about to puke. It seemed to groan as thunder and lightning wrapped around Kusgakure no Sato and the dark green pulsating chakra riddled around Raz. She gasped when thick black lines spun around him and obsidian feathers burst from his back. His curse seal was like her bloodline. Always fighting a corruptible, swallowing energy. Her respect and compassion for Raz suddenly grew. While he became a twisted servant for the energy inside of him, her face went strangely white. She watched as his eyes shifted to red and orange, colors that her own irises reflected. Suddenly she felt a world closer to the red maned man.

She abruptly turned to Ren when he was explaining…whatever it was he was explaining. She wasn’t paying attention to that. She caught the tail end of ‘run’ or ‘help him’. She knew Yue would have nothing of running. “When he powers down? We don’t know if that’s a promise, or if he’ll just be a corpse. Things like that just don’t go away like you canceled a jutsu. I wouldn’t go so far to say we’re the ONLY ones that can help Raz…he has powerful friends, but…I may have an idea.” She recalled at least coming with Haruyuki, a man that was best buds with Raz. Perhaps he had a chance and several other ninja may have the capability to deal with what Raz became…until his body gave out and nothing was left but a ragged sack of flesh and bones. “I have a jutsu. It’s the same one I use to seal my bloodline so I don’t…die. I-I don’t know if it will work, but it’s the only thing I know.”

[11123]

Posted

Yue wasn't the kind of person to pray since he didn't think the gods gave two shits about he wanted but he actually found himself tempted to try as they dragged Raz's bloody and broken body up the last flight of stairs wanting  but knowing it was probably too good to be true that somehow someway everything was going to turn out okay for Raz.

 

He wasn't quite sure what to make of the glowy person thing that came out of the tree. Considering all the shit he had seen today he was quite content to just accept it until it clicked that whatever it was, Raz had called it 'Korin'. Oh, fuck.

 

Yue actually let himself the tiniest bit of relief when the glowing figure healed the worse of Raz's injuries since it meant that the man wasn't going to bleed to death while Yue stood helplessly by. After that the only thing Yue could think to do was take a step back and let the man have a few moments that sounded awfully like the last he was going to spend with his wife or whatever was left of her. Fuck, that was a kick to the god damn stomach that Yue wasn't expecting to feel since he had given up on finding anyone alive in this cursed city. Why they hell did Raz have to sense her presence or whatever the fuck it was to give him the hope and determination to drag himself along only to find that it was too late to do anything? His son was missing his wife was dead or as close to it that it didn't fucking matter and all the poor bastard had for support was the absolute clusterfuck of a team he had the shitty luck to teach. Whoever did this is going to fuckin' pay. Yue clenched his fists feeling nothing but anger at this whole fucking scenario - angry at whoever took Raz's son, angry whoever forced Raz's wife to sacrifice her life to save what was left of her village, though by the looks of things hundreds if not thousands of people had still died, angry that he was powerless against the demons that had attacked them and powerless when he was trying to help Raz. All that training and fighting for what? To stand around unable to do anything to help one of the few people who put up with his bullshit.

 

It was only when things fell silent that Yue pulled himself from his angry bitter thoughts his blue eyes narrowing as he realized the changes overcoming Raz wasn't a figment of the imagination. Yue opened to his mouth to say something, he wasn't exactly sure what but wasn't given the chance as the menacing stare that the thing that was his teacher silenced him before it took off into the night sky. "Of, you have got to be shittin' me." Yue spat wondering what the hell they were supposed to about this bullshit.

 

"Because he was such a fuckin' lightweight b'fore." Yue hissed in response to Ren's painfully obvious statement that the crazy bastard was literally flying around with the power of a Kage. No fucking shit. What was worse was hearing Ren saying that their teacher was no longer in control and seeing the transformation before his eyes Yue knew that the dumbfuck was actually right for once.

 

What would Raz want me to do? Yue scowled at the thought wondering when the hell he started caring about what the red-headed bastard thought of him or expected of him. Hell, when did I start feeling so responsible for these crazy fucks? He never wanted it, sure as hell didn't ask for it but as much as he complained about them, and how they all seemed to know just the right thing to say or do to piss him off Ren and Lilina were the closest thing he had to siblings and Raz... well, Yue didn't know what the fuck Raz to him only that Yue didn't want to add 'Yue fucked everything up again' to list of issues he was dealing with right now.

 

"No," Yue said firmly in response to Lilina his eyes finally pulling away from Raz knowing he didn't really have any authority over with of his teammates and history had that nasty ass way of repeating itself so he knew he had a snowballs chance in hell at actually getting them to listen to him but he had to fucking try. "If you fail, and you piss off that demon or whatever the hell is flyin' up there usin' Raz we are royally fucked, and frankly, the last thing he needs right now is the knowledge that he ended up hurtin' or killin' one of us." He turned to Ren knowing damn well that before any of this shit went down Raz was more than capable of trying the three of them limb from limb without even trying. "As much as it pains me to fuckin' admit this, I think we go with your plan. We fall back." Yue looked back over to where Raz was and saw some giant swirling black thing now circling him. "Something tells me we ain't alone out here. We should try an' find the other poor son's-a-bitches that got dragged into this hellhole with us." Maybe they could do something or would know something or maybe they could all just collectively sit around twiddling their thumbs until the next round of shit hit the fan.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...